Slain woman's possessions going to sell for charity

Kane murder case remains unsolved

Marilyn Bethell didn't leave a will before she was shot to death at age 47. He body was found two months later in unincorporated Kane County and her murder is still unsolved.

The last thing those who knew Bethell saw her do--on Oct. 30--was help people in her job as an assistant to substance abuse counselors in Hoffman Estates.

Now, Bethell's family is hoping to help her community. Her Aurora home and all of her belongings are going to be auctioned, in part to raise money for two churches and a charity.

Her three-bedroom home in a quiet neighborhood will be auctioned May 13 by Almburg Auctioneering, a firm hired by Bethell's two half-sisters. The home and belongings can be found at the Web site, www.almburgauctions.com.

On Oct. 31, a man was seen crashing her car about a mile from her home and then fleeing in another vehicle with a second man. Police went to Bethell's home and could not find her but found evidence of foul play in her car. Her body was found by a hiker Dec. 26 off the Illinois Prairie Path in unincorporated Batavia Township.

Bethell had no children, but her home had been placed in a trust that specified how the proceeds from its sale would be divided, said Ron Klein, her estate attorney.

Moody Church and Bible Institute in Chicago, Community Christian Church in Naperville and the Make-A-Wish Foundation will each get one-third of the proceeds, Klein said.

Bethell's personal belongings also will be auctioned, and her closest relatives, two half-sisters from DeKalb and Berwyn, will receive the proceeds, the attorney said. The auction will be at Bethell's home on the 2500 block of Quail Court, Aurora.

"It's sad to see all of her stuff going to the auction," said Deborah Eastman, a close friend of Bethell's. "But it's good to know that it's going to charity. That's what she would have wanted."

Kane County Sheriff's Detective Steve Reitmeyer said investigators are following up on leads. He would not comment about a possible suspect.

"We've been talking with neighbors to assure them we're doing everything we can to bring this case to a close," Reitmeyer said.

The Carole Sund/Carrington Memorial Reward Foundation, a California-based group, is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Bethell's killer. Aurora Area Crime Stoppers and the Kane County sheriff's office are each offering $1,000 rewards for information.